Laugh, for abs sake!

Some of my readers (and friends) find it surprising to find out how much TV I watch, or rather, how many shows are on my DVR. I don't necessarily get to watch them all, but I do dedicate an hour or 2 a day to precious couch time. Shocked?

For me, this is an important part of my regimen. If I had my way, as my husband knows, I would work, work, work until the wee hours of the night. In fact, when he's out of town, I typically do.

When we first met in college, I was taking 21 credit hours, thanks to petitioning for permission to take more than the 18 credit hours allowed per semester. I did not watch TV. I studied. I read. I took short breaks to eat a well-rounded dinner of Total cereal or Top Ramen or both, then returned to my studies. I was uptight. I apologize to my roommates for this-- there was the occasion when they swapped all my dresser & closet contents with my other roomie, turned drawers upside down so that when I opened them, everything spilled out. I think they thought I would laugh & get them back somehow. Instead, I cried. Then dried my stressed out tears & kindly asked them to fix it all because I wasn't going to. Yep, that was me. Really laid back & fun, right?

One night I was in my room studying while my sweet boyfriend and future hubby chillaxed on my couch in front of the TV. I could hear him laughing hysterically as I trudged away with my nose in the books. Finally, annoyed, I entered the room ready to boot him out. Instead, he convinced me to take a break & sit down and watch. It was the first time I ever watched "Friends" & I was hooked. I watched every episode after that faithfully until the show's finale, by which time we were married with 3 kids. And in that moment, I realized I wasn't being a slacker for watching a TV show. I was creating some balance in my life. And I was laughing.

So even now, while I'd rather be busy, accomplished, productive, and moving, I make the time to sit & watch & laugh. The difference between me and the couch potatos-- I'm not using this time to eat, at least not junk. I'll enjoy my evening snack of plain greek yogurt with fruit & nuts, letting my sweet doggie lick the bowl (she loves greek yogurt just as much as I do) or I'll drink some herbal tea. I love a good, and yes, even mildly raunchy, comedy (Whitney, Modern Family, Raising Hope, & New Girl) as well as reality shows that I'd like to be on (Amazing Race & Survivor) or merely like to laugh at (The Bachelor). I love this time to just snuggle with my hubby and my shaggy poodle Chloe. And I love laughing out loud.

So it's with great pleasure that I report this: while on our family vacation to Disneyland, we heard rumors that "Modern Family" would be filming there. Obviously, Disney cast members weren't posting to all the park visitors this news or precise filming locations and times. So it was by pure luck that on the morning of February 29th, my kids wanted to start with Splash Mountain, and Modern Family was filming a scene right there at that time. Kelly didn't want to ride right then, so she and I were scoping out a spot to film Ryan and the kids as they took the big plummet. Unfortunately, that's when the area was roped off and we were inundated with the demands to "keep it moving!" It was at that moment, Ed O'Neill aka Jay (or Al Bundy), crossed right in front of me! The touchy-feely person that I am, I just reached out, grabbed/patted his arm and said, "I'm such a fan. I love your work!" He nodded gruffly, mumbling "Thanks" and eyed me warily to see who this crazy woman was who had the audacity to grab a well-known celebrity.

This interaction totally made my Leap Day! And then to see Sofia Vergara-- ay! She is the woman I wished I looked like; the woman I would love to be; the woman who I actually suggested to my hubby should be on "his list"!

Alas, we never ran into Cam & Phil. But I'll take what I can get. The point is, don't feel guilty for enjoying a TV show. In fact, if you're like me and going a thousand miles a minute, I command you to stop. Drop. And sit on the couch. For just an hour. And without a half gallon of Ben & Jerry's . . .